Catch and Release in Marine Recreational Fisheries

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program: Trained Anglers Making a Contribution to Fisheries Research, Management, and Conservation

J. A. Lucy, C. M. Bain III, and M. D. Arendt

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781888569308.ch26

Initiated in 1995, the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP) is a cooperative project of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) funded primarily from Virginia’s saltwater recreational fishing license revenues. The program has three objectives: to provide a quality tagging program involving trained anglers in developing a database which enhances understanding and management of fish species important to the state’s marine recreational fisheries; to educate anglers about what can be learned from tagging programs as well as programs’ limitations; and to update or collect previously unavailable tagging data on selected finfish in Virginia’s coastal waters.